Image

Previous 1 / 1 Next

Gustave de Beaucorps

Algerian Street Scene, ca. 1858-1860

Description

Maker

Title

Algerian Street Scene

Year

ca. 1858-1860

Medium

Waxed-paper negative

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Supports

Dimensions

Sheet: 29.2 x 39.4 cm (11 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches)

Type

Credit

Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund

Object Number

1997.66

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Early Exposures

March 13 - July 19, 2015

This capture of a ghostly ascending cobblestone alleyway was probably not intended to be seen in the negative, but rather printed in the positive. De Beaucorps was an amateur photographer who made many waxed-paper negatives on his travels through Algeria, likely the location of this image.

Waxed-paper negatives were the first practical way to make negatives outside the studio, because the paper could be prepared at home. Durable and lightweight, they were appreciated for the soft delicacy and transparency of the images they produced.

Image and Enterprise

February 4 - April 22, 2000

The calotype, invented by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1840, allowed for a negative to be made on paper treated with silver nitrate and other chemicals and then exposed to light.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Algerian Street Scene with the accession number of 1997.66. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.